Does Michael Vick Belong in the Hall of Fame?

Michael Vick, one of the most polarizing players in a league that is full of them, retired from the NFL five years ago, finishing his career as a backup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As such, the 39-year-old is now eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton.

But should he be?

That’s a question Oliver Connolly grapples with in a new piece for The Guardian. In the piece, Connolly lays out the case that Vick’s singular talent and the way he broke the mold for the way the quarterback could be played does establish somewhat of a case for Canton.

But, Connolly also acknowledges Vick’s career, which was cut short when he went to federal prison for dog-fighting, does not really match Hall-of-Fame criteria and, while he was an important player, he may not have been an all-time great.

“You cannot tell the story of the NFL without Michael Vick,” Connolly writes. “He is one of the most important players of this century, if not one of its best. But his career will be as much remembered as a series of whys and ifs the further we are removed from the highlights and the video games. And that feels right.”

He makes a good point. As entertaining and groundbreaking as Vick may have been as an athlete, he was, by NFL standards, a mediocre quarterback on the whole.

A three-time Pro Bowler who lost more playoff games (three) than he won (two), Vick was never an All-Pro or an NFL MVP award and never played in a Super Bowl, let alone won one.

During his 13-year career with the Falcons, Eagles, Jets and Steelers, Vick only completed 56 percent of his pass attempts and won just 61 games. Active NFL quarterbacks who already won more games than Vick include Matthew Stafford, Cam Newton, Alex Smith, Russell Wilson and Andy Dalton.

While it is certainly fair to say wins do not always tell the full tale of a player’s worth, they are usually a good benchmark voters rely on when considering if a quarterback deserves to be in the Hall of Fame or not.

In Vick’s case, the lack of them will likely keep him out of Canton — and the fact he would have had more of them had he not gone to prison doesn’t help. Talented? Yes. Polarizing? Yes. Important? Yes. A Hall-of-Famer? No.

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